Sealant vs. Wax

Wasatch

Wasatch

New member
Would durability be what separtes the two apart? Maybe I'm not making this come across the way I want it to be. If one only lasts about 4-8 weeks it's normally considered a wax, right? Two plus months then it is considered a sealant, right? For the most part I believe this is right. Most people I guess want to know what is being placed on the vehicle and how long it will last, right?
 
Durability separates the two and if I'm mistaken I'm sure someone will correct me, wax is a natural product with added chemicals so it spreads easier than in it's natural state. Whereas most if not all sealants are synthetic or not a naturally occurring substance like carnauba wax. :)
 
John, 4-8 weeks is pushing a carnauba, IMO. I usually consider any carnauba, "fairly diminished" after about 3-4 weeks. This is worst case scenario, and I normally use that in So.Cal. Its always been my belief that carnaubas more or less just float on the surface anyway, whereas a Polymer (my favored product) will actually bond to surface pores, thereby increasing durability. Im going on 8 weeks since my last UPP application, and with the 20 or so inches of rain we have had recently, im really surprised by the beading on my P/U. As for looks, I have yet to "see" a difference between say S100 and BF or Platinum/Fourstar. I still have a can of #16 I need to try.

Some poeple will seperate the two by visual preferences, be it warmth, glow, depth etc...I just cant see it.

I guess i seperate it by durability. One thing to consider is normally customers wont see the difference between a carnauba or polymer, but they may notice durability by simple morning dew or light rain beeds.
 
I'm thinking what you're asking is how long a typical wax lasts vs a typical sealant. This is a good question as most autopians probably re-apply before the previous coat expires. I think your 2 month differential is generally correct.



Don't want to jack your thread but what may be interesting are the products that don't adhere to the above rule of thumb, waxes that last especially long (#16, Collinite) and sealants that don't last very long (Wolfgang, NXT, EX-P are just guesses from another thread). To be more specific, if deciding on whether to use a wax or sealant as an LSP and am considering different products, say #16 or EX-P or UPP, which would last longest? :confused:
 
gearhead said:
To be more specific, if deciding on whether to use a wax or sealant as an LSP and am considering different products, say #16 or EX-P or UPP, which would last longest? :confused:
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Although #16 is very durable, I would think that a synthetic sealant would still be more durable, particularly in hot climates. #16 is durable, but it's still a carnauba, meaning that it has a lower melting point than a synthetic sealant.





As for the original question, I've always taken the word "sealant" to mean the product is mostly synthetic. And I guess it would mean that it won't bond well over carnauba waxes (I tried Paste Glaz, then EX-P once...didn't work AT ALL. No slickness or beading after one wash).
 
Technically, the difference between a wax and a sealant is the molecular structure of the compound. Not being a polymer chemist I can't elaborate on specifics. A multitude of waxes can be derived from plant, animal, mineral or synthetic materials. I believe all commercially available sealants are synthetic.



From a practical perspective, it appears than more people who choose automotive products from name-brand manufacturers find that sealants last longer than waxes.



That sounds deliberately vague because there are too many different products from too many different manufacturers, applied in too many different environments, to too many different finishes to make absolute performance predictions.



The only way to know for sure is to try the products and find out what works for you.





PC.
 
gearhead said:
Don't want to jack your thread but what may be interesting are the products that don't adhere to the above rule of thumb, waxes that last especially long (#16, Collinite) and sealants that don't last very long (Wolfgang, NXT, EX-P are just guesses from another thread). To be more specific, if deciding on whether to use a wax or sealant as an LSP and am considering different products, say #16 or EX-P or UPP, which would last longest? :confused:
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I'm sure everyone would know that #16 is a wax, as is Collinite, but for as long as they last you could put them in a sealant category. I've never used Wolfgang before, or EX-P (have some). I thought EX-P should at least last 3 months, putting it in the sealant category. I've used NXT and it lasted about 2.5 months at least for me, and I would consider it a sealant not a wax like the bottle sez. I was just trying to figure out which product goes into which category, how it was determine. The main point I thought would be durability. I'm just bored here at work.:confused:
 
John Styrnol said:
I've used NXT and it lasted about 2.5 months at least for me, and I would consider it a sealant not a wax like the bottle sez.
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Although it's called NXT Tech Wax, Meguiars refers to it as a sealant.
 
Are both waxes and sealants polymers? I have read that both are, and the significant difference between them is (1) natural-vs-synthetic and (2) durablity. Is this correct? The chemical difference is differences within the same family of chemicals?

Thanks in advance :)
 
i guess you could say that waxes have natural products like carnauba while sealants have synthetic products like polymers and acrylic. waxes usually diminishes with time due to heat and don't last long, while sealants "bond" to the surface and last a long time. also waxes and sealants can have different looks, although nowadays that line is becoming blurred.
 
Wax:

" any of numerous substances of plant or animal origin that differ from fats in being less greasy, harder, and more brittle and in containing principally compounds of high molecular weight (as fatty acids, alcohols, and saturated hydrocarbons)...



...Any of various natural, oily or greasy heat-sensitive substances, consisting of hydrocarbons or esters of fatty acids that are insoluble in water but soluble in nonpolar organic solvents."



Technically, all true WAXES are derived from nature, or are synthetically manufactured to the same chemical structure and properties as natural waxes.



A SEALANT is an attempt to synthetically engineer a product that imitates natural wax properties without sharing a similar chemical structure. NXT is not a wax, but imitates natural wax properties. To the end that it imitates natural wax properties, it's labelled a wax.
 
if NXT is not a wax but imitates the latter, then I say it's a:



"wax sealant" :D :D :D



it has the look of a sealant and durability of wax!



just kidding!:D :D :D
 
on a side note, i use both nxt and WG and like them both



WG with 3-4 applications has lasted about 5 months on my camaro which sits outside all the time and is a daily driver ;)



NXT still beads on my moms car when it rains but no so much when i wash it, and that is since may !!



need to polish and wax hers soon, but too damn cold



i like WG though :xyxthumbs
 
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